incubate

[ in-kyuh-beyt, ing- ]

/ ˈɪn kyəˌbeɪt, ˈɪŋ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incubate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), in·cu·bat·ed, in·cu·bat·ing.

to sit upon (eggs) for the purpose of hatching.

to hatch (eggs), as by sitting upon them or by artificial heat.

to maintain at a favorable temperature and in other conditions promoting development, as cultures of bacteria or prematurely born infants.

to develop or produce as if by hatching; give form to: His brain was incubating schemes for raising money.

verb (used without object), in·cu·bat·ed, in·cu·bat·ing.

to sit upon eggs.

to undergo incubation.

to develop; grow; take form: A plan was slowly incubating in her mind.

RELATED WORDS

breed, nurture, brood, produce

Nearby words

Origin of incubate

1635–45; < Latin incubātus past participle of incubāre to lie or recline on, to sit on (eggs), equivalent to in- in-² + cub(āre) to sit, lie down + -ātus -ate¹; cf. incumbent, concubine

Related formsin·cu·ba·tive, adjectiveun·in·cu·bat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for incubate

They employ and fund researchers, incubate and test new technologies relating to energy storage, production and carbon capture.
Why Stanford Should Keep Its Coal Stocks|Daniel Gross|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Texas may be a testing ground, but it is in Silicon Valley that ideas germinate and incubate.
The GOP’s Huge, Growing Modernity Gap|Lloyd Green|June 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Koch helped kill one species of Democratic politics and incubate another.
Who Is the Republican Ed Koch?|Peter Beinart|February 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In another study, “one man reported that he felt compelled to incubate and help hatch out a clutch of bantam chickens.”
Will I Get Fat? 15 Signs You'll Gain Weight|Anneli Rufus|November 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Put up the tube cultures in Buchner's tubes and incubate anaerobically at 42° C.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
Incubate for forty-eight hours at 37° C. and reject any contaminated tubes.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
Prepare cultivations in nutrient broth and incubate under optimum conditions for forty-eight hours.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
Incubate at 37° C. for forty-eight hours and eliminate any contaminated tubes; store the remainder for future use.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
Incubate under suitable conditions as to temperature and atmosphere.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre

British Dictionary definitions for incubate

incubate

/ (ˈɪnkjʊˌbeɪt) /

verb

(of birds) to supply (eggs) with heat for their development, esp by sitting on them

to cause (eggs, embryos, bacteria, etc) to develop, esp in an incubator or culture medium

(intr) (of eggs, embryos, bacteria, etc) to develop in favourable conditions, esp in an incubator

(intr) (of disease germs) to remain inactive in an animal or human before causing disease

to develop or cause to develop gradually; foment or be fomented

Derived Formsincubation, nounincubational, adjectiveincubative or incubatory, adjective

Word Origin for incubate

C18: from Latin incubāre to lie upon, hatch, from in- ² + cubāre to lie down

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for incubate

incubate

1640s, "to brood upon, watch jealously" (which also was a figurative sense of Latin incubare); 1721 as "to sit on eggs to hatch them," from Latin incubatus, past participle of incubare "to lie in or upon" (see incubation). Related: Incubated; incubating.

Medicine definitions for incubate

incubate

[ ĭn′kyə-bāt′, ĭng′- ]

v.

To maintain eggs, organisms, or living tissue at optimal environmental conditions for growth and development.

To maintain a chemical or biochemical system under specific conditions in order to promote a particular reaction.

Science definitions for incubate

incubation

[ ĭn′kyə-bā′shən ]

The act of warming eggs in order to hatch them, as by a bird sitting upon a clutch of eggs in a nest.

The act of keeping an organism, a cell, or cell culture in conditions favorable for growth and development.

The maintenance of an infant, especially one that is ill or born before the usual gestation period, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration in order to provide optimal conditions for growth and development.

The development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear.

Related formsincubate verb